Stand by Me
by GintaxAlvissForever
Summary: [College AU] Shuichi has been in the dumps ever since the incident at the bar with Kokichi. Now that it's Christmas, he should have gone home with in order to clear his head but he chose to stay in his dorm room alone. Goro feels bad about yelling at him and does take Akira's advice to invite him over to Café Leblanc. Shuichi has other reasons for being depressed though.


**Stand by Me**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dangan Ronpa V3 and Persona 5. They belong to Spike Chunsoft and Atlus.**

 **Summary: Shuichi has been in the dumps ever since the incident at the bar with Kokichi. Now that it's Christmas, he should have gone home with in order to clear his head but he chose to stay in his dorm room alone. Goro feels bad about yelling at him and does take Akira's advice to invite him over to Café Leblanc. Shuichi has other reasons for being depressed though.**

 **Pairing: Implied Akira/Goro and Shuichi/Kokichi**

 **Rated: T (for teen)**

 **Genre: Angst and Friendship**

 **Warning: Cursing, sad backstory and unintentional OOC**

 **Prompt from Tumblr (Admins °M° & Chamomile) and for the AUideas Advent Calendar "Home for the Holidays" AU.**

 **In this universe, it's not just Shulk suffering from depression even though for Shulk, it happens during the winter season. Shuichi pretty much has depression and anxiety in canon and sometimes, Goro doesn't really help with that. Enjoy!**

 **Akira is 18, Shuichi, Kokichi and Goro 19.**

* * *

Goro Akechi was a terrible friend. Granted, getting close to individuals wasn't his thing. With how terrible his life had been growing up, Goro made a vow to not get too close to people if it meant to avoid being hurt again. The world preferred to have the perfect ace detective over the unwanted bastard child after all. Still, when people reached out to befriend him, Goro needed to not take them for granted or he would regret.

A few days ago, he had requested Shuichi Saihara to get Kokichi Ouma to spill secrets about what he knew about the demons at the college they were at. Recent incidents had caused people to start to question the strange phenomenon around them and these incidents ranged from dragon sightings to random snowstorms in specific areas and people claiming to see a beautiful snow girl only to nearly freeze to death when they followed her. Goro should not be focusing on supernatural cases but it gives him something to do. He may be more competent than the police but the police would continue to treat him like a child until he graduated college. That's just how the world worked and Goro hated every minute of it. He needed at least three more years before graduation, but even then, he might stay in college longer for a Masters. Patience was a virtue.

Enter Shuichi Saihara who he was assigned to look after by the higher ups. At first, Goro saw this as the adults insulting him and telling him to babysit someone who wanted to play pretend. Granted, there was another new detective who immediately risen in the ranks due to her keen intellect. Shuichi was a baby in comparison. He was super shy, did what he was told and was easy to order around. Overall, it felt tedious even though Shuichi wouldn't get in his way.

Overtime, Goro started opening up to Shuichi. They had many things in common from their not so happy family life to how they viewed the adults in the workplace. Goro did find it hilarious how despite Shuichi's hatred toward blood, he desired to be a detective to help people. His reason was far nobler than the ace detective. He would never admit he joined the police force as a way to put his foot in the door and get close to his asshole father who was still out of reach.

The weird part was how the police force saw the two together. They thought Goro would hate the idea of Shuichi tagging along like a young puppy. The two young detectives ended up walking side by side and were wonderful partners. Goro hated the paperwork but Shuichi was willing to do it since he preferred working indoors. In contrast, Shuichi rather not have to look at dead bodies while Goro was now numb to staring at them. It annoyed the adults to no end how quickly they became friends.

Alas, Goro was not the best of friends if he failed to realize the issues that plagued Shuichi. The shy detective had obvious family issues that shaped him into the obedient boy he is today but there was something else that bothered him. Goro didn't like thinking about mental illness. It reminded him of the things he himself could be diagnosed with. Shuichi suffered from anxiety issues and depression. Goro was no doctor but he recognized the signs. Yet, he did nothing to ease Shuichi's problems. The only reason he had to help his partner was because Akira mother fucking Kurusu had to meddle.

Ever since the failure to extract information from Kokichi Ouma happened, Shuichi had cramped himself in his dorm room to continue the research. He apologized to Goro for not coming into work and insisted he was working hard. At this point, his roommate had left to go home so there was no one checking up on the shy detective. When Goro voiced his concern to Akira, the young barista lectured him about not being a good friend and demanded to visit the college campus.

That is how the two ended up in front of Shuichi's dorm room door. The two made it in simply because Shuichi didn't lock the door. How did it get to the point that Shuichi forgot something as simple as that? Goro was far from pleased with his partner but Akira even more so.

"It's time to get out and hang out with friends!" Akira had shouted as he yanked at Shuichi's arm. The shy detective squeaked at the sudden contact. "You are coming to the café I work at."

"N-No. It's too cold!" Shuichi whined. "How far is the café?"

"Ten minutes from here," Akira told him. "Now shut up and let's go."

It should have been Goro that said that but he just went along with what Akira wanted to do. Alas, he made the situation worse by simply grumbling to Shuichi how he should be at home with his relatives instead of being cramped in the dorm room all alone. It was bad for his mental health.

The ten minute walk wasn't all that great. Akira did most of the talking despite it not being in his personality to chatter. The barista hoped that Goro would catch on to what he needed to do but Goro felt it was better to observe Shuichi than speak to him. The poor detective wouldn't even look either of his companions in the eye and kept his hat over his eyes. Shuichi clearly was not dressed for the occasion.

Eventually, the trio would alive at LeBlanc. Sojiro had closed the café for today to spend time with his family and left Akira to the café for the day. Akira had no problem with this. Immediately, Shuichi was greeted by a cute black cat that meowed. Shuichi couldn't help but smile. Goro looked over to the counter and shook his head in annoyance. A white cat was sleeping soundly on top of the table.

"Your cat is very lazy," Akira teased.

"Don't remind me. All Snowball does is sleep when she's not a big ball of energy."

"…I wish I could do that…" Shuichi murmured.

"You haven't slept in days," Goro commented. "I really wish you would take care of yourself."

Shuichi said nothing to that. Akira urged the two to go upstairs to the attic. The raven haired detective was confused on why but the reason was obvious. They needed to talk to him. The black cat led the way upstairs to the comfy attic. Shuichi really didn't know what to expect.

"You live here?" Shuichi had to ask.

"I asked the same thing," Goro told him.

"It's a temporary stay," Akira answered. "I believe that is not the topic."

Shuichi flinched at Akira's tone of voice. He shivered more at the way Goro stared at him. Akira expected Goro to be sincere with his concerns. Alas, Goro proved to be a terrible friend and bad at reading the atmosphere.

"Why didn't you go home?" Goro questioned. "It's the holidays and you should be spending time with your family instead of staying in the dorm room alone."

Shuichi's eyes widened at the suggestion. "I didn't feel like it…"

"You didn't feel like it? Shuichi-kun, you have a family to return to. The only people left at the dorm are those who cannot return home or those who have no parents. You on the other hand have someone so I expect my partner to take breaks."

"Akechi-kun, I'm sorry but why are you so insistent that I go home?" Shuichi asked. His tone noticeably changed. Goro may not have reacted but he did notice something was amiss.

"I am concerned with your health," Goro answered truthfully. "You told me in your text message that Momota-kun has gone back to his grandparents. It is not healthy for you to hide in your room all day when you're not working on cases."

That sounded like the right thing to say but Shuichi took offense to that.

"I apologize Akechi-kun but there isn't anyone for me to go home to."

"Your uncle-"

"Is busy with another case in another city," Shuichi interrupted.

"What about your parents?" Akira had to ask.

That was the wrong question to ask. Shuichi pulled his cap over his eyes immediately. Goro glared at Akira for even saying that. Of course, Akira caught on and apologized.

"N-No…it's okay Kurusu-kun…" Shuichi mumbled. "Akechi-kun was implying the same thing."

Goro shook his head. "No, why would I ever…"

"Do you want me as your partner anymore?"

Now that took the older detective off guard.

"What? Where did that come from Shuichi-kun?"

Something must have snapped inside of the younger detective. His hat moved slightly away from his face allowing Goro to see the armor piercing glare that scared people into submission. He refused to be another victim.

"I know I messed up with Ouma-kun. He's still a friend and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt what little trust he had in me. But you've been dismissive of me ever since."

Now Akira had his attention to Goro waiting for him to respond. Goro actually seemed lost concerning this conversation.

"I'm sorry if I came off that way," Goro started to say but Shuichi wouldn't have it.

"No you did it intentionally. Compared to me, if I mess up once, the chief will have my head. You've asked me to do fewer things for you ever since! I…"

"Shuichi-kun…"

"It does hurt when you tell me to go home. You of all people should know what it's like to have an awful relationship with their parents."

Goro wanted to say Akira brought it up but this topic had been breached before. There were times when Goro confined in Shuichi about how awful his father was for abandoning him and his mother. However, Shuichi only talked about his uncle and dodged every question concerning his parents.

"Shuichi-kun…I'm sorry…"

While the older detective probably meant those words, Akira noted how Goro didn't look as apologetic as his words implied. Shuichi didn't feel the apology was genuine either. Again, Shuichi pulled his hat down. He wanted to say something else but felt like he said too much.

"Just tell me I'm a terrible partner for you Akechi-kun…and I'll resign…"

Akira needed to step in before Goro said something stupid. Goro's eyes widened with the barista interfering with their conversation but this needed to happen.

"Shuichi, I'm sorry for bringing up your parents. I had no idea what has happened but I feel like you're overreacting."

It was another terrible thing to say. Akira flinched hearing the shy detective hold back a sob. Goro's heart sank realizing what he's doing.

"…I think you two need to cool your heads," Akira continued. He looked down on the ground and noticed that Morgana was at his feet. The two apparently knew what the other was thinking. The black cat walked over to Shuichi and hopped on the couch as if telling the detective to take a seat next to him. "Akechi, I'll make you a special coffee."

That was Akira's way of telling Goro "Come downstairs with me so we can talk about what you just did." Goro hated feeling like a child that was being lectured by a parent. Akira was the younger of the two and yet he had the authority here. Sometimes, life was not fair.

Goro slightly nodded his head as he took slow steps out of the attic. He wanted to say something to Shuichi. He kept his mouth shut. He did too much damage to the boy's self-esteem. Shuichi needed to calm down. He needed to calm down as well and Akira would help him with that. At times like this, he wished his cat would be as helpful as Morgana. If she was going to sleep on the table all day, then she wasn't all that useful…

As Goro walked down the stairs, Akira gave Shuichi an apologetic look. The raven haired detective didn't seem to notice. His attention was to Morgana who jumped into his lap the moment Shuichi took a seat on the couch.

"I'll clear things up," Akira told Shuichi softly before following after Goro.

* * *

Akira and Goro gave Shuichi some time to himself in the attic while they went down to the café. Akira offered to brew the two detectives coffee. While Goro would have the usual, Shuichi didn't have a preference and with what just happened, it was best to just give him what Goro was having.

The café remained quiet as Akira brewed the coffee. Akira waited for Goro to say something but the ace detective zoned out thinking about what was just said. He found it rather difficult to keep his normally composed look that he gave the world. In fact, the more he tried to ignore the problem, the bigger his scowl became.

"You know you have to apologize to Shuichi," Akira told the detective casually.

Goro gave Akira a cold stare but chose not to open his mouth. He looked toward the door in hopes that Akira would drop the subject.

"Shuichi looks up to you," the raven haired barista continued, "you shouldn't take his loyalty to you for granted."

"Having loyalty in this work force is going to get himself killed," Goro told Akira coldly.

"It's better to have one or two close companions than none at all. Wouldn't want to be stabbed in the back one day now would you?"

Goro shook his head. "I'm prepared for that. Shuichi-kun…really should have gone home to his uncle. That's all I'm saying."

"But apparently, you knew he had a bad relationship with his parents."

"You brought it up," Goro snapped.

"But you implied it first. Your also one of Shuichi's closest friends so that seems like a low blow even for you."

"That really wasn't my intention!" Goro said raising his voice. He lowered it almost immediately. "I know he felt bad about what happened with Ouma-kun. I wanted to get the case done immediately but that brat makes things harder than it needs to be. I guess I was…disappointed that Shuichi-kun resorted to alcohol and ended up drunk himself." Goro sighed at the image. "I was not happy when I had to take him to my apartment."

"Were you mad or just worried?" Akira asked.

"Probably both…" Goro mumbled to himself. "Anyone could have taken advantage of Shuichi-kun at the bar."

"You can trust Risty though-"

"No I can't," Goro cut Akira off. "She has a criminal record. She would allow something to happen to anyone in the law enforcement for her entertainment and for money!"

"But Shuichi is one of the good ones."

"I know…" Goro sighed in defeat. "Shuichi-kun is too kind for his own good. He could have just interrogated Ouma-kun instead of playing along. He wants to make sure everyone is on good terms, but he can't keep doing that."

Kokichi was still Shuichi's friend regardless of what Kokichi thought. Goro hated to admit that he didn't like a person who was difficult to read. Kokichi was a well-known liar. He piled lies upon lies until it was impossible to see the truth. He was clearly dangerous. He claims to be the leader of a criminal organization DICE but other than his words, there really isn't anything connecting current crimes with him. The two detectives have researched Kokichi every now and then but it always came up blank.

Akira finished brewing the coffee and gently placed it in front of his customer. He sighed. "You have a weird way of showing that you care."

Goro had no retort to that. He instead focused on the coffee and attempted to take a sip. He burnt his tongue as a result and jerked his head back slightly.

"It's very hot."

"I know…"

"Torturing yourself with my coffee isn't going to make you feel better."

"I know…"

Akira expected Goro to say something else. When he stubbornly refused to say anything, the raven haired male continued. "So, how are you going to apologize to Shuichi? How are you going to make it up to him?"

Again, Akira was met with silence.

"You act like you two have never been in a fight before."

"We haven't," Goro admitted. "That's why I'm a little lost. Shuichi-kun usually keeps to himself so…"

Goro groaned. If he wasn't so insensitive and spoke what was on his mind, Shuichi wouldn't be upset with him. As Goro stated, he was only mad at Shuichi messing up because of the location and not because of failing to get the information. Should anything happen to his partner, Goro would find one less reason to appreciate his life.

"Let me guess. If Shuichi disagrees with you, he pulls his hat down and agrees silently with you just to avoid conflict?"

"…He does."

"That's not how your friendship should go. He needs to speak his mind or he'll continue to hurt himself."

 _Don't you think I know that?!_ Goro screamed to himself. However, it hurt to see his friend holding back his tears while trying to keep to himself. "What should I do?"

"You need to be there for him," Akira answered. "Stand by his side. Lend him an ear so he doesn't feel like his friendship with you is one-sided. Encourage him. He's one of those types of people."

Goro wanted to snark that Akira's wording was rather condescending in nature but the fact that Shuichi suffered from depression was something he couldn't ignore. He ignored it for a long while.

"I…"

"Don't tell me that you know that. I know how terrible you are at making friends."

Goro glared at the barista. "Thanks for the observation."

"Your welcome. I am serious though. If Shuichi is your only friend, I would think you would treat him better."

Akira snapped his finger. This was his chance. "I have a good way for you two to get along better."

Goro blinked in confusion? "Hmm?"

"You, me, Shuichi and another friend of mine should spend the day out. You and Shuichi can make up and understand each other more and forget how you both are detectives for a day."

"…Why bother tagging along with a friend?"

Akira smirked. "My friend would love to spend time with Shuichi."

Goro knew he shouldn't have asked. "So you plan on setting Shuichi up to cheer him up?"

"It's a double date," Akira corrected. "My friend with Shuichi…and you with me."

Goro didn't know why his cheeks turned red at that moment. He blamed the coffee and how cold it was outside. Akira's teasing made it worse.

"So much for caring about Shuichi and me…"

"Hey, I want to have fun too. And my friend will give you two time together too even if it's a double date."

"Stop using that word. I would never agree to going out with you," Goro snapped.

"Oh, why so? You don't find me attractive enough?"

"It's not that. I don't…"

Goro couldn't say he didn't have time. He told himself he would make it up with Shuichi. Akira just took advantage of the situation and that's what annoyed him. Akira had his way with words and he also had a way of making everything work out in the end. It's why the auburn haired detective returned to this café to speak with him. He gave him peace in this terrible world.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

Goro sighed as he stood up. "I will go upstairs and apologize to Shuichi. I will also ask him if he's free. What is a good date to hang out?"

"New Year's Eve."

"…How romantic…"

"So, it's a date, right?"

"Don't push your luck."

Akira smirked at how quickly Goro rejected his offer. He was okay with taking a day off and hanging with his actual friend though. Now if only he could persuade Goro into another thing.

Goro gave one last look to the barista that he secretly crushed on before making his way up the stairs. Akira smiled once he left. He got out his cellphone and began texting someone about the conversation he just had. Whoever the person was, they were sending him purple hearts in the text message. Akira couldn't help but chuckle.

 _Maybe when everything settles down, we'll be able to get that double date after all._

* * *

 **Me: Done with 3839 words. Notes!**

 **1\. Goro's backstory is pretty much the same as in canon with Shido being the bastard he is. However, the major difference is with the lack of Personas as well as Goro meeting Shuichi at an earlier time, thinks are as terrible for him and as a result, he's not as unstable.**

 **2\. I headcanon from DRV3 that Shuichi's parents don't care about him seeing as how he only talks about his uncle. Some people have it nice with the whole "they are overseas and can't talk to him" but I also believe that given how quiet Shuichi is, he would have a bad relationship with his parents.**


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